Saturday, September 23, 2006

Here are some shots of some of the best female longboard surfers in the world, including Tasia Jones, Marissa Barry, Jennifer Smith, Cori Schumacher, Simone Robb, Kaitlin Maguire, and tournament winner, Lindsay Steinreide. I've got lots more from this two-day event, including tandem surf teams and some of the great legends themselves. Please inquire for any specifics and watch for the full surfing portfolio to appear on my main website at www.miraterra.com in the coming months.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Well I found myself working in Toronto, Ontario over Labor Day Weekend, which translates into Labour Day in Canadian, and they celebrate it big time. Despite low clouds and dreary conditions, jets roared overhead all weekend in preparation for the Labour Day Air Show. Merchants laboured in their retail shops as shoppers laboured through the malls. Much like at home, but in an “oh-so-british” way only the Canadians can get away with gracefully. And no, they don’t end all their sentences in eh?, just some of them. But there’s one word that is a dead giveaway. “Sorry”. That word alone can tell you if you’ve been bumped by a Canadian or an American, and often you can determine the exact region they are from simply by stepping in their way.

On Sunday, I was shooting an event at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. A private launch takes you to the island in Lake Ontario where the yachters club, lounge, mingle, and admire the downtown Toronto skyline from afar.Too bad it was so dismal, gray (or grey), and without even a breath of wind to stir the small regatta into sail. But the shallow waters of the island’s shores were telling, indeed. Just off the dock, drowning in the waters of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, was an American flag. The lake algae had already adorned its edges, and it lay there lifeless, helpless, and nevertheless defiantly proud for all passers by to admire, pity, or ignore. The small ripples in the water almost gave the illusion of the flag blowing in the wind. But it had long ago lost contact with the wind or even air, and it looks as if the Canadians are more than content to leave it be - a subtle reflection of what they must be feeling. The morning’s headlines didn’t offer any reason for argument: “Canadians killed in friendly fire in Iraq”. The friends? Us. US. USA. I’m sorry Canada, with my most undignified annoying American way of saying it, I truly am sorry. If it’s of any consolation, I passed by the drowning stars and stripes too, taking only a picture for the viewer to decide on a caption.

Monday’s Labour Day Parade had the downtown Toronto streets filled for hours, with seemingly more participants than spectators. It was as if every Canadian citizen belonged to one union or another, and proudly marched, biked, drove, skated and danced their way through the streets waving their union flags and wearing their union t-shirts. It just went on and on, and I was beginning to suspect that the parade route formed a big circle and the same participants changed flags and t-shirts every time they passed City Hall. After a few hours and more than a few “North American” union teams paraded by, my husband made a curious observation, which I later confirmed when reviewing the pictures I took. Canadian flags mixed with Mexican flags, yet the American flag remained to be seen….not for the North American Steel Workers, nor the North American Welders Union…nor anything bearing the words “North American” in the title. Interesting.

So I return home and a week later my government is celebrating the anniversary of 9/11 with all kinds of fear-inducing hype and propaganda in the form of a mini-series. Don’t get me started. Hang on, who’s writing this anyway? I am. But my blog is not about political commentary, there’s plenty of that out here on the web. What I prefer to share is “the world through my eyes” – I’m an actor, writer and a photographer, and whether I’m clicking at the computer keys or with the camera shutter, it’s all my own expression. Ok, atleast I can express my views and post my images uncensored for the world to read and see, and for that right, I am grateful. So here’s to Labour Day in Toronto! I LOVE YOU CANADA!

New Words and Images posted 9/12/06:It's September and summer is still here in San Diego, with warm clear waters in the lower 70's and continuing great surf (well, great for the green surfers like me). And I finally got a photographer to capture me in the surf, thanks Jeff Hamby!The first week of school is often the best week of surf for the rest of us. Finally, some room in the water! Until the weekend that is. It was the first Saturday after school began for most surfers. And La Jolla Shores was packed. Boards were lined up like horses at the starting gate, and claiming your wave was like merging onto the freeway, but with other merging lanes to the left and the right at the same time. Once up on a wave, you dodge boards and surfers the entire way in, and hopefully they dodge you! It feels like the little guy on "Frogger" trying to cross the road! But oh, so worth it. Here's the latest of me on my newly acquired "woody" longboard, I love it!

And here's my big bro Bob back in the day on his longboard taking the curl:More family vintage surf pics to come!

ORIGINAL POST: July 2006 (new picture added)Summer is here! While summer is high season for most travelers, it is low season for travel photographers. Luckily, I don't have to get on a plane to scope out one of the hot summer destinations, it's right here in my own backyard. And how best to enjoy the beaches of southern California? SURF of course! Basically, this is where you'll find me every day that I don't have an assignment, and even when I do.After I stumbled upon a sting ray at La Jolla Shores last week (I know, I know, "shuffle, don't step", come on people, I'm a native, it was just a matter of time!), I decided to bother the marine life a bit closer to home, and took up surfing at Cardiff Reef. Now this is cool. Today just beyond the reef there were seals hanging out, and as I paddled out over the reef I watched bright orange garibaldi swim beneath my board. The water was warm, clear, and the waves big and gentle. While it takes forever to paddle out to the break, it's worth all the effort when you can ride a single wave all the way in - my longest ride yet, I even got sunburnt (yes, it's bikini warm).Although I've yet to find a photographer to capture me surfing, I thought I'd post a few images I've taken of others surfing locally. Most recently, here's Kevin at the reef, an unknown surfer at Del Mar, and my daughter taking her first lessons on a body board (hey, never too young to learn!).But this post would not be complete without a picture of the most inspirational surfer I know, my brother Ben. He was surfing in the 60's, and is surfing still in his 60's. He's been published several times over the years, so I'm sure he won't mind another. This was taken during a winter swell in Malibu, he was out there on his shortboard (he took up shortboarding when he turned 40) and the waves were mighty. Now that my lens is repaired (the focusing ring had broke, but the images are worth posting anyway), I'll be back up there this winter and can't wait to post more amazing shots of an amazing surfer! Here's big bro Ben in Malibu:

About Me

Travel Photographer, Travel Writer/Blogger, and Travel Videographer. I freelance. And I love my jobs. I work for various companies and
clients in various capacities. From shooting for a destination's website or brochure, to leading luxury tours around the globe, to taking road trips with my family, I photograph and write about it all. With over 15 years of planning, organizing and leading luxury tours, I know the niche, and write about it authentically. Luxury goes beyond a free upgrade - it's an experience, or product, that's worth paying for. My blog is my own voice, a site that began and continues to be a venue to share photos and stories from my travels, both personal and professional. Any links I
extend promoting any companies or properties are done so of my own
volition. If I have been sponsored or compensated
as a blogger, I make it known upon posting with a disclosure. While my
blog doesn't make me rich, my travels do. It's all just too good not to
share. Enjoy!